TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS.
Welcome back to Tuesday’s Trivia Tidbits. For those of you out of the loop, this is a little compilation of 10 movie related facts that I will be posting weekly and info that I always find interesting. So without further ado, this weeks are…
1: Bill Murray was considered and tested for the role of Sulley in “Monsters Inc.” but the director, Pete Docter, said that when the filmmakers decided to offer it to Murray, they were unable to make contact with him and took that to mean “no”.
2: Daniel Radcliffe, Shia LaBeouf, James McAvoy, Erryn Arkin and Tobey Maguire were considered for the role of Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit“. However, Peter Jackson has said that his first choice was always Martin Freeman. Freeman was initially unable to accept the role, due to scheduling conflicts with “Sherlock“, but Jackson reworked the entire shooting schedule for the Hobbit films to accommodate him.
3: According to Naomi Watts, the producers of the film “The Impossible” heard an interview on Spanish radio where the real family told their story of surviving the Tsunami and decided from then to adapt the story into a film.
4: Originally, Richard Donner directed “Superman” and “Superman II” back to back, then cut back on filming the sequel to focus on finishing the first one for a Christmas release. A clash with producers Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind over the material led to Donner being fired before he could finish filming the second one and he was replaced with Richard Lester. Donner later estimated that he had directed 80% of the sequel and saw about 50% of his work in the theatrical film.
5: To enhance the scale of the Space Jockey in “Alien“, Ridley Scott actually filmed his kids in miniature space suits.
6: “Manhattan” is Woody Allen’s least favorite of the movies he has directed. However, it was the most commercially successful film of his career. He said years later that he was still in disbelief that he “got away with it”. He disliked it so much that he offered to direct another film for United Artists for free if they kept “Manhattan” on the shelf for good.
7: Edward Norton was originally offered the role of Pvt. Ryan in Steven Spielberg’s World War II film “Saving Private Ryan” but he turned it down and it eventually went to his “Rounders” co-star Matt Damon.
8: Author William Peter Blatty once won $10,000 on the Groucho Marx show “You Bet Your Life“. When Groucho asked what he planned to do with the money, he said he planned to take some time off to “work on a novel.” The novel turned out to be “The Exorcist“.
9: Viggo Mortensen was originally cast to play John Dunbar (Kevin Costner’s role) in “Dances With Wolves“. Mortensen was also supposed to play the character in a proposed sequel called “The Holy Road“. Costner stated he didn’t want to reprise the character but the sequel has yet to see the light of day either.
10: Francis Ford Coppola was in the early stages of developing a script for a fourth “Godfather” film with Mario Puzo which was to tell the story of the early lives of Sonny, Fredo and Michael. After Puzo’s death in July of 1999, Coppola abandoned the project, stating that he couldn’t do it without his friend.
So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…
(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.).
MARKED MOVIES 
February 5, 2013 at 11:32 am
Shia in The Hobbit? God help us! Very interesting about Manhattan. I’m not a huge fan of that film but it sounds like even I liked it better than Woody!
Great as always Mark!
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February 5, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Can’t see Shia in The Hobbit but McAvoy could have worked and also Maguire.
I wasn’t entirely taken by manhattan either but had no idea that Allen disliked it so much. It wasnt that bad.
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February 5, 2013 at 11:53 am
Interesting fact about Alien. I never knew Woody Allen disliked Manhattan. Nice trivia.
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February 5, 2013 at 12:13 pm
I never knew about either of those either man. Sometimes I unearth little gems for myself as well as others 😉
Thanks man.
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February 5, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Great facts as usual mate. Love the Alien one. It’s that kind of ingenuity that was completely missing from Prometheus. I would also definitely watch a Groucho Marx game show!
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February 5, 2013 at 12:15 pm
That’s exactly it Chris. Sometimes when you have less to work with the creative juices flow more easy. Prometheus could have been doing with some of this type of ingenuity.
Thanks man.
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February 5, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Wow Woody disliked Manhattan.That might be the quintessential NY City film ever made. Gershwin’s music and Gordon Willis’s cinematography… I could watch it w/o the dialogue. Wonder why he disliked so much?
From what I hear Bill Murray actually has no agent. You have to reach him personally if you want him for something. That’s just the way he rolls. Check this little thing out he did for Funny or Die when you can:
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February 5, 2013 at 3:14 pm
Manhattan certainly seems to capture New York Dave. I don’t know why Woody disliked it so much. From what I’ve heard, I think he felt he could have it differently.
Love how Bill Murray rolls. In the end, I think John Goodman was the right choice for Monsters Inc. though.
Cheers Dave! I’ll have a look at that link a little later.
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February 15, 2013 at 10:57 pm
HAHA! love it man. Thats me just getting around to this. Murray is the man!
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February 5, 2013 at 2:34 pm
Matt Damon looks so young there!! Good stuff as always Mark 🙂
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February 5, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Thank you sir! Damon does look young there, that’s when he was still an up and coming young actor. I’d loved to have seen Norton in that film though. Can’t beat a bit of Ed.
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February 5, 2013 at 11:39 pm
Right man, added this page on all kinds of sharing sites, let me know if you get any hits in your stat box from any of them 🙂
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February 6, 2013 at 8:51 am
I had already posted this on Reddit myself so it’s hard to tell with that one. I don’t see anything else that’s dramatically different so far, but we’ll say what the day brings. Cheers man!
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February 6, 2013 at 9:08 am
Yeah Reddit told me you had! Stumble Upon seems to be the main one for people. Some its brought in a lot, others its brought nothing. Still, gotta try! 😛
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February 6, 2013 at 9:15 am
Reddit told you? Did they allow it to be posted again?
I set up an account with stumbleupon a while ago but for some reason, they won’t let me post anything. I’m going to try again though.
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February 6, 2013 at 9:16 am
No, when I posted it they told me it couldnt be submitted again, some joker called Mark had already done it 🙂
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February 6, 2013 at 9:37 am
Haha! I’m gonna hunt that joker down man. 😉 So there’s a stumbling block already. It looks like some sites wont allow a repost. Hmmm! 😦
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February 6, 2013 at 10:05 am
Yeah Im gonna do a follow up post in a day or two, since this has been so well received. Just letting people know early results. I know I gave some people a lot of views instantly, others got hardly any. Luck of the draw……but compiling the results is interesting
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February 5, 2013 at 2:44 pm
The best part of Tuesdays right here!!
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February 5, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Thank you kindly sir. You always manage to pay a very fine compliment in the space of sentence. Superb, mucker.
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February 5, 2013 at 3:23 pm
I tip my hat to my fellow mucker : )
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February 5, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Much obliged my friend. My hat is also tipped 😉
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February 5, 2013 at 2:53 pm
Get out… “The Exorcist” owes its existence to “You Bet Your Life”? That is awesome! LOL
So thats all it took to make Coppola stop bastardizing the Godfather franchise, huh? Puzo’s death? LOL If we had known we could have sent Luca Brazi over to pay a visit ten years earlier!
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February 5, 2013 at 3:07 pm
In truth Coppola made The Godfather III because his studio American Zoetrope wasn’t doing well financially so that why that movie happened. Was it a cash grab… sure, but he made some of the best films of the 70’s and he did it his way so I think he gets a pass.
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February 5, 2013 at 3:22 pm
It was definitely a cash grab and one that could have been wisely passed on. I agree though, Coppola was a master throughout the 70’s.
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February 5, 2013 at 3:33 pm
Had Kickstarter been around back then maybe Coppola could have financed his films another way. I’ve always admired that Coppola was always willing to take chances… even today. He’s still a maverick… and you know had he not had to live up to the legacy of the other two films the film would be seen in a better light today. Now if he could only digitally remove Sofia out of the film. LOL.
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February 5, 2013 at 3:38 pm
One of Coppola’s film’s that is a real favourite of mine was One From The Heart. He took a big gamble with that and it didn’t really pay off but I love the film and the magnificent soundtrack by Tom Waits.
But yeah, remove Sofia from the Godfather and it may have been viewed slightly better LOL.
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February 5, 2013 at 4:10 pm
Someone smarter than I pointed out back when The Godfather III came out that John Huston put his daughter Angelica in one of his movies when she was a teen and she was really bad and look how she turned out.I’d say Sofia’s acquitted herself quite nicely.
Love Tom Waits BTW. Would love to see him and Nick Cave in a movie together. Heck of a soundtrack.
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February 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Sofia’s certainly learned fro her fathers directing skills that’s for sure.
I’m a massive Tom Waits fan. I’m obsessional about my (almost) complete collection of his stuff. I can’t get enough of the old Tomcat.
Nick Cave is another I admire very much that would be a great collaboration. Throw in a bit of Leonard Cohen and you’re sorted. 😉
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February 5, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Do they have a dvd copies of Big Time over there? It only made it on VHS over here.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Nope! I’m afraid not Dave. Can’t get a hold of Big Time at all. I’ve never actually seen it, I’ve only ever heard on vinyl. Seen a couple of clips on You Tube though. It’s a bummer man.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:19 pm
I have a rip of this on dvd:
This is the best quality you’re gonna find. If you torrent you can find this on there. I don’t feel bad downloading seeing as they have no plans to ever release it. I don’t have to tell you this but it’s a must especially if you’re a fan of his Island Records years.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:34 pm
Fantastic link Dave. I’ll be watching that when I make time. Thanks man!! 🙂
I’ve tried to get it on torrent before but it took forever to seed so I gave up on it. Love his Island Years stuff. Some real classics amongst that record label.
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February 5, 2013 at 3:20 pm
“you bet your life” it does Fogs 😉
It’s a strange one though, isn’t it. They just don’t go hand in hand really.
Yeah, The Godfather III wasn’t all bad but it would have been better if he’d left it alone really. Still, the idea of having an earlier look at those characters sounds quite appealing to me.
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February 5, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Great stuff. I’m amazed that Woody Allen thinks that way about Manhattan. I can only assume he didn’t actually watch To Rome With Love after finishing it in that case!
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February 5, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Haha! Yeah, I haven’t seen To Rome With Love but I have no desire to from what I’ve heard. Woody has made far worse film’s than Manhattan, that’s for sure. Cheers man! 🙂
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February 5, 2013 at 4:33 pm
Nice selection here Mark! I knew about the Donner one on Superman, such a bummer really. Wow, I had no idea about The Exorcist novel, man that film still traumatized me. I didn’t know Allen didn’t like Manhattan, one of his most iconic work, I wonder why??
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February 5, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Thanks Ruth. I thought you might have been aware of the Superman one. That was new to me. No idea why Allen didn’t like Manhattan other than that he thought he could have done it better but it seemed to be well received by so many people, so he can’t complain really.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:17 pm
Yeah, perhaps there’s something personal there that makes him dislike the film?? There’s gotta be something as the film is considered a classic and one of his masterpiece.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:31 pm
Personally I found Manhattan to be a little slow but it’s by no means his worst film. It is considered a classic and in many way, rightly so.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Excellent trivia, interesting one about Alien.
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February 5, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Thanks Vinnie. It’s puts Alien in a slightly different perspective now doesn’t it.
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February 5, 2013 at 7:50 pm
Hey Mark, I actually haven’t seen Manhattan yet. But Allen’s movies are a hit and miss for me, so we’ll see if I like that one. Curious now to see what he could possibly dislike about it.
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February 5, 2013 at 7:53 pm
It’s definitely worth a look Ruth. A bit slow but still a very beautiful and well shot film. Give it a go, you never know. I’d like to revisit it actually. I was expecting massive things that it dent live up to but my opinion may change on another viewing.
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February 5, 2013 at 7:55 pm
You know what’s funny, I tend to like Allen’s movies when he himself is NOT in them, ahah. I abhorred Scoop but I adore Midnight in Paris, and Purple Rose in Cairo was pretty sweet as well.
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February 5, 2013 at 8:39 pm
It took me a while to warm to Allen as an actor. I was never that keen on him either. I found him grating. But over the years I began to appreciate him more. He’s done some fabulous stuff.
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February 5, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Bill Murray’s such a boss. Great list once again, bud!
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February 6, 2013 at 8:46 am
Murray is certainly the man! Cheers Dan.
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February 5, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Very interesting as always. I liked Freeman in The Hobbit but it would’ve been nice to see McAvoy in the role. Big fan of his.
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February 6, 2013 at 8:46 am
I still haven’t seen the film yet Fernando but I think McAvoy could have worked.
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February 5, 2013 at 10:39 pm
Oh God, Scott’s kids gotta be scared for life after seeing Space Jockey ^^ I really like Freeman as Billbo but McAvoy would be such an inspired choice.
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February 6, 2013 at 8:48 am
Ha! Yeah, his kids must have been getting night terrors after that. Haven’t seen the hobbit yet, but I think McAvoy would have been an inspired choice as well.
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February 5, 2013 at 11:38 pm
I gather Murray’s “unmaintained answering machine” method of selecting movies has cost him a lot of roles. But then, he doesn’t seem bothered by it, so hey, whatever works. John Goodman was perfect for Sully anyway.
The Groucho/Exorcist bit is great trivia.
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February 6, 2013 at 8:49 am
Murray still manages to land some plumb roles regardless. I admire his approach. Totally agree on Goodman. He’s a great choice for Sulley.
Loved the Groucho/Exorcist one myself. Stranger than fiction. Thanks Morgan. 🙂
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February 6, 2013 at 3:37 pm
Good trivia, as always! I am definitely not a fan of Daniel Radcliffe, and the idea of him as Bilbo makes me cringe.
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February 6, 2013 at 6:51 pm
Haha! Thanks Steph. Not keen on Radcliffe either. I would have liked McAvoy to get the chance though.
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February 13, 2013 at 7:36 pm
I would totally watch a Dances with Wolves sequel. Also Fogs mentioned you in the comments of a post I did yesterday and I pretended I did not know who you were 😉
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February 13, 2013 at 9:00 pm
I’d watch a Dances With Wolves sequel as well man.
Swung by on that post you’re talking about. The info with Sinatra and Die Hard is great stuff. I did happen to feature it a few weeks back and it’s one of my favourite bits of trivia.
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February 13, 2013 at 9:03 pm
I think i may have actually read that post and had your idea in my subconscious somewhere, sorry if i did not give you props, i read a lot of posts 😉
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February 13, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Haha! No worries man! I’m just glad to have had an influence somewhere. The post was great man. Can’t say I’m too enamoured with the latest Die Hard, though.
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February 15, 2013 at 4:55 pm
5. That is so cool! Never knew that.
6. Definitely knew that. Isn’t that just crazy?
8. That’s just brilliant.
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February 15, 2013 at 10:53 pm
All very true, according to souces man. I dont preach gospel but I dig deep on movie trivia. 🙂
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February 19, 2013 at 5:31 pm
And you do a damn fine job doing it!
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February 7, 2014 at 1:07 am
Cannot believe 8!
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